Understanding the Item Catalogue
The Item Catalogue, managed within Zudello's Inventory > Items submodule, serves as the central repository for information about the products and services your business buys or sells.
Purpose:
- Standardisation: Provides a single source of truth for item details (SKU, description, unit of measure, etc.).
- Automation: Enables automatic matching of transaction lines (on POs, Invoices, Sales Orders) to the correct item record based on SKU, barcode, or alternatives.
- Default Coding: Allows administrators to set default coding (GL Account, Tax Rate, Dimensions) for specific items, speeding up transaction processing.
- Settings: Enables item-specific settings that influence processing.
- Reporting: Provides consistent data for inventory and sales/purchasing analysis.
- Integration: Acts as the link between Zudello transactions and the item master data in your ERP system.
Key Information Stored:
While configurable, Item records typically store:
- Identifiers: SKU (Stock Keeping Unit - unique code), Name, Description, Barcode.
- Status: Active / Inactive.
- Defaults: Default Account Code, Tax Rate, Dimensions (Department, Location, etc.).
- Settings: Toggles like
treat_as_freight
,remove_lines
. - Pricing (Optional): Standard Purchase Price, Sale Price.
- Alternatives: Links to supplier-specific or customer-specific codes for the same item (Manage Item Alternatives).
- ERP Link:
external_id
linking to the corresponding item record in your integrated ERP.
Data Management:
- ERP Sync (Recommended): For businesses with an integrated ERP, the Item Catalogue is typically mastered in the ERP and synced to Zudello automatically. Creating/editing items should be done in the ERP.
- Manual Management: If Zudello is used standalone or the ERP integration doesn't cover items, administrators can manually create and maintain items directly within Zudello (Inventory > Items > New Item).
- Item Alternatives: Crucial for bridging the gap between your internal SKUs and codes used by external parties.
Maintaining an accurate and well-organised Item Catalogue is fundamental for efficient matching, automated coding, and reliable reporting in Zudello.
See also: Managing the Item Catalogue (How-To) See also: Understanding Automatic Item Matching Logic (How-To)